Friday, October 14, 2016

What is Isopropylamine?


Isopropylamine, also called 2-aminopropane, 2-propanamine, monoisopropylamine, and MIPA, is an organic compound, an amine. It is a base, as typical for amines. It is a hygroscopic colorless liquid with ammonia-like odor. Its melting point is 95.2 °C and its boiling point is 32.4 °C. It is miscible with water. It is extremely flammable, with flash point at 37 °C.
pKa of protonated form is 10.63
Isopropylamine can be obtained by aminating isopropyl alcohol with ammonia in presence of a nickel/copper or similar catalyst:
(CH3)2CHOH + NH3 (CH3)2CHNH2 + H2O
The main uses of isopropylamine are in glyphosate herbicide formulations, a key component of atrazine (another herbicide), a regulating agent for plastics, intermediate in organic synthesis of coating materials, plastics, pesticides, rubber chemicals, pharmaceuticals and others, and as an additive in the petroleum industry.

Together with isopropyl alcohol it is used in some binary chemical weapons (e.g. M687), as a mixture called OPA which in turn mixed with methylphosphonyl difluoride (known to the military produces sarin gas.

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